


Who Mourns for Orion?

by CelticRomulan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), POV characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 04:40:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2011257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticRomulan/pseuds/CelticRomulan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the months following the uprising, Eren Jaeger is again missing. The Military Police has mandated the use of liaison officers in order to keep checks and balances between the three military factions, which puts a dampener on Captain Levi's plans for a rescue mission. Levi and Hange Zoe are certain this mandate was set so that the Military Police can spy on the Scouting Legion for the recently deposed king. </p><p>Meanwhile, Eren finds himself in the hands of a cult long-believed to have been eliminated seventy years ago. He is worshiped as a god in human form, who was prophesied to destroy the Walls and bring about The Reckoning, a great apocalyptic battle between gods and men that will destroy the world. As Eren attempts to escape, he finds help in the unlikeliest of allies...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_He was burning._

_Everywhere there was an open wound, he was burning. The water he was tromping through did little to alleviate his pain. It only made steam hiss as it wafted from the bite marks on his calves and thighs. He did not stop to watch his leg muscles knit themselves back together. No. He had to keep moving. Every pulse made his blood sear beneath his skin. He felt dizzy. But he had to keep moving._

_The world around him was red. Red as blood and rust, and stank of rot. The air was thick and heavy, and it made him feel as if he were swimming above the water as well as below. His roughspun shirt clung to his chest and back, completely soaked with sweat, blood, and stinky red water. His trousers were shredded from his knees down, and he had abandoned his boots to the hell-beasts that had assailed him only hours before. Of all his years of wondering beyond the walls, he had never encountered such creatures; they were squat, scaly, and deceptively swift swimmers with sharp teeth set into long, grinning jaws. His transformation was enough to drive them off for a while, but his wounds were taking an agonizingly long time to heal. And the heat, humidity and stench of his surroundings did nothing to help._

_At length he climbed onto a hillock above the water. At least it was dry up here, he thought. A small, twisted tree stump covered in moss and lichen was the only source of shade for miles, but it would have to do. He sat and propped his back against it. The dizziness subsided for a moment, but his vision began to blur and darken…_

_What felt like seconds later, he woke to a pair of hands grabbing him by the armpits and dragging him upright. Another wave of dizziness swept over him just as this faceless stranger threw a hood over his face._

_Dreams and memories chased each other through his head…one moment he was towering above the gate, his ears ringing with screams of terror, hatred, and desperation, his shoulders stinging from harpoon hooks and paring blades as his enemies sought his weak spot at the nape of his neck…_

_The next he was seated with his friends in the mess hall, laughing and joking, his cheeks flushing whenever a girl looked his way, a smile crossing his face whenever the other boys praised his prowess in combat…_

_A tearful scream ripped through his mind, as those very same friends learned the truth…_

_LIARS!!! TRAITORS!!! MURDERERS!!! YOU DID THIS!!!_

_Yes, I did. And that is what I am. I am destroyer of walls, breaker of chains, killer of innocents. I am the face of death, of destruction, of despair._

_And now you know the truth._

_Someone was wiping his face with a damp cloth. He slowly opened his eyes to see a massive domed ceiling above his head. He was lying down in a rather large and unbelievably comfortable bed with light cotton sheets and silky blankets. A woman was sitting by his bedside with a basin of water in her lap while she mopped his brow. She saw him awaken and stood, leaving her basin in her chair as she left the room._

_“Wait,” he said, but she was gone. He felt too tired to get up. Besides, the bed was so comfy…_

_A few minutes later, a hooded figure entered the room and sat down where the attendant had been. The young man’s olive-green eyes widened in recognition as the hooded figure spoke:_

_“Welcome, Bertolt Hoover. We have been expecting you.”_


	2. Levi

“I can’t believe this! This is unfair! Unethical! Insulting! Presumptuous! Predictable—err, no, that’s not it. Levi, what’s that word that Erwin liked to use…?”

“Preposterous?”

Commander Hanji Zoe turned to Levi. “Yes. Preposterous. I mean, what does that weasel Nile Dawk expect to gain from this?”

Captain Levi picked up the stack of papers that Hanji had thrown at him and began to leaf through them. Two dossiers and a contract for handling—

“Liaison officers? I mean seriously. This is clearly an insult! He’s doing this to spy on us!” Hanji Zoe took a moment to catch her breath and readjust the bolo tie at her neck. Levi could see that his superior was well past upset. The Military Police Brigade had begun cracking down on the Scouting Legion, forbidding them to do anything without their consent. And now they were sending one of their own to join the Scouts’ ranks to keep an eye on things. The contract had said that the liaison officer’s job was to “facilitate communication and operations between all branches of the military,” but Levi could tell that what it was really saying was, “we don’t trust you, so we’re sending a mole to make sure you little upstarts toe the line.”

Erwin Smith would not have tolerated such nonsense. _But then again,_ Levi thought, _this was Erwin’s fault to begin with. All this talk of coups and rebellions and conspiracies have gotten him arrested, and now look what we’ve been landed with! Oh yes, forget the titans for now…they’re not the real enemy…_

Levi skimmed the first dossier: a Lieutenant Friedrich Wasser from Mitras.

_Oh goody…_

Graduated third in his class, advanced through the ranks for “valorous conduct” ( _fancy words for kissing ass, no doubt_ , Levi thought), received the opportunity to serve in the king’s palace guard for a brief stint…

 _And now they’re sending him here._ It struck Levi as peculiar that the MP Brigade would send a lieutenant and not, say, a major or colonel—someone higher up. It didn’t make sense. Maybe it was one of those instances where the lower officers were tasked with the Brass’s dirty work. The MP Brigade was known to do that. Levi wouldn’t be surprised if this Lt. Wasser was some fresh-faced jingoist who had never seen combat a day in his life. _What a rude awakening he’s in for…_

Levi put Wasser’s dossier aside and read the second one:

Captain Karen R. Alexander.

“A Garrison officer?”

Hanji paused from her ranting. “What? Oh yes. Not that we need a liaison officer from them. I suppose it seemed only fair to have more than one set of eyes spying on us…”

Neither Levi nor Commander Hanji bore any ill will against the Garrison Regiment, but the MP Brigade’s involvement was enough to raise caution. Levi had never heard of this Captain Alexander…probably because of her largely unremarkable career. She was posted in the Utopia District, the wall-town that hung off the northernmost point of Wall Rose, and well away from any major Titan activity. Apparently she was an engineer and head of the artillery division. Levi snorted. _This woman probably looks like a tank and has the personality to match_.

He slapped the rest of the papers down onto the table and poured himself a cup of black tea.

“So what do you think?” Hanji asked.

“What do I think?” Levi sipped his tea, holding the cup over the top of the rim. “I think the Military Police are a bunch of cows.”

Hanji chuckled. “Cows, but not pigs?”

“The merchant guilds are pigs. The Wall Cultists are sheep. The Military Police are cows—big and intimidating, but slow, stupid and only good for fattening. They ought to change their insignia to a cow.”

“Moooo!” Hanji agreed.

“Don’t.”

“Just be sure you don’t say that to Lt. Wasser’s face,” she warned.

“Oh, I’ve got plenty of things to say to his face. It’s just a matter of how much insult he can handle.”

“Don’t you think you’re being petty, Levi?”

“Tch. You know what they say about doing unto others, Commander.”

“Well,” Hanji replied, “Let’s just hope that you don’t throw the first punch.”

***

Lieutenant Friedrich Wasser arrived at midday. He rode on horseback, with a horse-drawn wagon trundling behind him with his belongings.

Levi, Hanji, and a few other officers stood at the entrance to greet him. As he passed beneath the porticullis, Levi got a good look at him. Lt. Wasser was indeed young, probably no older than twenty, with dirty-blond hair and a five-o’clock-shadow that accentuated an arrogant smirk. He brought his palfrey around to pass the officers by again, and stopped to size them up. He dismounted when he saw Hanji.

“Commander Hanji Zoe, I presume?” he asked. Lt. Wasser had a reedy, unctuous voice to match his weasel-like face. He saluted her with a probing smirk. Hanji returned his salute.

“Welcome to Scouting Legion Headquarters, Lieutenant Wasser. May I introduce my officers, Captain Levi of our Special Operations Squad, our Chief Medical Officer Doctor Kessel, our chief Quartermaster—”

“A pleasure,” Wasser said. “I have been travelling for three days, and I require some rest.”

“Of course,” Hanji replied. Levi could tell she was trying really hard to sound polite. _How dare that little bastard interrupt her! She outranks him!_

“My adjutant, Evan Steiner. You will assist him in moving my belongings to my quarters,” Wasser said, motioning to the young man climbing out of the wagon. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. Levi turned and nodded to him. Evan Steiner’s eyes widened, and he immediately turned away. _He’s afraid of me_ , Levi thought. _Good_.

Hanji called a pair of lieutenants over to help Steiner. She stepped forward and took hold of Wasser’s horse’s reins. Levi did not like the look the man was giving her; he was watching her like a hawk, and not in a friendly way.

_I’ll be watching you, boy. Just wait. One wrong move, and I’ll make you regret it._


	3. Jean

“Have you heard the news?”

Jean Kirschstein had finished his patrol report just as Armin Arlert poked his blond head in to ask that question.

“About the liaison officers? Yeah, I’ve heard it.” He straightened the papers and hastily turned them over. He was supposed to have finished writing last night, but exhaustion had set in before he could. “Why do you ask?”

“No no, I mean about the MP Brigade. They’re finally going to assist with the search parties.”

Jean stood up from his desk. About damn time. “So who’s disappeared this time?”

Armin unfolded a reward poster and handed it to Jean. It showed a pencil drawing of a smiling, dark-haired girl of about ten years. Vanessa Schöller, from the Ehrmich District. She had been reported missing three days ago.

Jean shook his head. “So those cake-eaters waited until somebody from the Interior went missing before they decided to take us seriously.” _Typical. And to think I could have been one of them._ He handed the poster back to Armin.

“It’s about time they did too. The Garrison can only do so much in the cities, and considering our own numbers, we could use all the extra help we can get.”

“Yeah, but we’ve been assigned to searching villages and small rural towns—wait, with the Garrison’s help, we could cover more ground this way!”

Armin grinned. “Exactly! I’m going to bring this up with Commander Hanji and the Garrison’s liaison officer once they get here.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jean said.

“I thought I’d put it by you and the others first,” said Armin.

“You don’t need to do that, Arlert. If it’s that important, you ought to just go straight to Hanji. The worst she can do is say no. Besides, you’re the best when it comes to strategy. Speaking of strategy Armin, you sure you’re not related to Commander Smith? You’re starting to act like him. It’s kinda scary.”

“I was gonna say the same thing,” a voice piped up. Its owner poked his peach-fuzzed head around the door frame. Connie Springer was shorter than Armin, but twice as talkative.

“Hullo, Connie.”

“You know, if you cut your hair short, you’d kinda look like you could be his son or something. By the way, Jean? Levi wants your patrol report by dinner.”

“It’s done. I’ll have it on his desk within the hour…unless you want to deliver it.”

“Nah.” Connie nodded an okay and ducked back out into the corridor; but then, as if remembering something, he turned around and poked his head back in. “Hey guys, have you met the MP liaison officer yet?”

Jean and Armin shook their heads.

“Stay clear of him. He’s a real dickwad. I had to help his aide carry his stuff to his quarters.”

“Thanks for the warning, Connie.”

***

The air in the conference hall was tense. Captain Levi had called his squad for a meeting. Commander Hanji was already there with Levi and a pot of coffee (and some tea for Levi, as he wasn’t too partial to coffee). Armin was seated at the far end of the table with Mikasa Ackerman and Historia Reiss, who were both speaking in whispers. Connie was with Sasha Braus in a corner, the both of them embroiled in a heated argument over the quality of today’s lunch (beans, but no bacon, much to Sasha’s distress).

Jean seated himself across from Levi, who was watching the others with his usual flinty stare. Hanji took her seat at the head of the table and called the meeting to order. Sasha immediately shut up and followed Connie to her seat. Jean noticed that Mikasa looked distracted and fidgety, stealing glances at the door.

Speaking of Mikasa, where was Eren? Hanji asked if all persons were present and accounted for—a stupid question, Jean thought, as it was plain as day that one of their most important members was missing.

Maybe he’s just late…

“We are short one, Commander,” Levi answered. “And that is the reason why I’ve called my squad together today.”

Jean glanced at Mikasa. It was difficult to read her expression, but he could tell she was worried.

“Eren Jaeger is missing.”

“Again?!”

“Who got him this time?”

“How’d he go missing?”

“How did they get him out of HQ?”

“Is it the Military Police again?”

Hanji banged her mug of coffee on the table and called for silence. Levi waited for everyone to calm down before he spoke again.

“We don’t know how he went missing, or where, or when.” He turned his flinty eyes on Historia, who looked just as shocked as everyone else. “Or why.” He then turned to Mikasa. “Lt. Ackerman, you were the last person Eren spoke to before he went missing, yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did he mention anything that could have hinted to possibly leaving on his own?”

“No, sir. He just complained about a pulled muscle in his leg and…er, saddle sores, I think. And then he said he needed a good night’s sleep, since he hadn’t slept well in a long time. That was a couple nights ago.”

Levi squinted at Mikasa over his teacup, which he held over the top of the rim. “A _couple_ nights ago, you say?”

“Yes, sir. I thought he was out on patrol, or doing more experiments with Hanji.”

“Lt. Ackerman,” Hanji said, “If I were experimenting on Eren, I would have asked you to assist me. You and Eren are quite close, and I would hate to see your reaction if anything bad had happened to him on my watch.”

Jean reached for the coffee pot and poured himself a mugful. He could not drink much more than a few sips; before long, he found himself staring into its bitter, brown depths. Nobody needed reminding that Mikasa was close to Eren. This reminder irritated him greatly. He had harbored a crush on her, but it seemed that to Mikasa Ackerman, it was all about Eren. Sure, they were brother and sister, but they weren’t even blood-related. By the way she kept clinging to Eren, Jean could not help but feel jealous.

“I haven’t seen him in a few days either,” Armin Arlert chimed in. “But I’ve been thinking…there have been frequent reports of people going missing. All civilians, though. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the military was being targeted too.”

All eyes were on Armin now. The boy tucked a golden lock of his pageboy hair behind his ear and produced a reward poster from his satchel. It was the same one he had shown Jean earlier. “This is the most recent one,” he said as he handed it to Levi.

“Tch.” Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust. “A Wall Sina brat. What of it?”

“This girl is the first victim from within Wall Sina territory. Everyone else was from Wall Rose towns and villages. This particular one has just prompted the MP Brigade to start mounting search parties in addition to ours and the Garrison’s.”

Hanji adjusted her glasses. “So what you’re saying Armin, is that the Military Police can’t be behind these kidnappings? If they _are_ kidnappings,” she added.

“I’m not saying they aren’t,” Armin replied, “But I’m not saying they are either.”

“Hmmph. Those cake-eating cows are so used to lying, they can’t even tell the truth to each other,” Levi muttered.

“That’s right,” Jean said. “How do we know it’s not the Central Branch’s doing? I mean, from what our contacts told us, it sounds like not everyone in the MP knows what everybody else is doing.”

“That still doesn’t make the non-Central Branch members blameless,” Levi replied.

“If you ask me,” Connie said, “It seems a bit convenient that Eren should go missing a few days before our liaison officer from the MP’s gets here. I mean, the guy could have orchestrated—”

“You’re just jumping to conclusions, Connie,” Sasha scolded. “Besides, how could he have been able to know where Eren sleeps, eats and hangs out?”

“Maybe he has a mole.”

“Mole or not,” Hanji said, “We know one thing is for certain: someone is interested in Eren, and has somehow gotten his hands on him.”

“I’m just surprised that whoever’s taken Eren didn’t bother to take Historia too,” Jean said. Historia shrugged, but said nothing.

“Soooo…that said, it can’t be the Central Branch?” Sasha asked.

“It could be anybody,” Levi answered. “I’ll see if we can launch a full-scale investigation. Find out where Eren is, who took him, where they took him, and why.”

“Permission granted,” said Hanji. “Though I’d be careful if I were you. Lt. Wasser might start nosing around too. Or he could withhold information if he knows what you’re up to.”

“Tch. Lt. Wasser. That man is not welcome here. I’ve made it clear to him.”

“Then I suppose I’m not welcome here either?” a voice asked. Everyone turned around. In the doorway stood a tall, statuesque woman with curly, flaming red hair tied back in a ponytail and fat brown freckles beneath a pair of emerald-green eyes. Her uniform bore the twin roses of the Garrison Regiment, and her spidery hands sat on her belted hips. She was very skinny, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t muscular. As she stepped into the conference room, her gait reminded Jean of a cat, graceful, but poised to spring.

Hanji approached the newcomer. “Ah, you must be Captain Alexander,” she said, smiling and saluting. “Commander Hanji Zoe, at your service.”

The woman smiled, nodded, and extended her hand, which Hanji promptly shook.

“You must forgive me, but we weren’t expecting you until later this evening.”

“I felt like riding at a full gallop, Commander,” Captain Alexander said. “We Garrison folk don’t get to ride horses often…and even less so in the North.”

“I’m sure. May I present Captain Levi of our Special Operations Squad, and his subordinates.” Jean and the others saluted.

“Captain Levi,” Alexander said. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Given recent events, mostly bad things, I’m sure.”

Captain Karen Alexander laughed at that comment. It was a rich, throaty laugh that Jean had thought only men could laugh. “Not at all, Captain! Mostly tales of your heroic deeds beyond the Walls.”

Levi grunted. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

Jean heard Hanji whisper, “They’re actually all true.” Levi gave his superior a cold, withering glare.

“Forgive me if I’ve interrupted your meeting,” the Garrison captain said, “But I needed to inform Commander Hanji myself of my arrival. I don’t like sending messengers.”

“No need,” Hanji replied. “My adjutant Major Berner will show you to your quarters.”

“Thank you.” Captain Alexander turned to leave.

Levi waited until he was sure their new guest had left before he spoke again. “How much did she hear?” he asked. Shrugs and head-shakes answered his question.

“I like her,” Hanji said. Jean couldn’t help but agree. Captain Karen Alexander seemed friendly and sociable enough.

“We need to watch her too,” Levi said. “Make sure she’s on our side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ranks are a bit fuzzy in this franchise. If anything needs correction, let me know!


End file.
